New Uni Rankings, Wristbands for Drunk Students, Does the Gvt Owe You Money?…

Students overpay £75m in Taxes?

It is estimated that students have overpaid the government around £75 million in taxes, and you could be due a tax refund.

If you've worked part time, in a paid internship or even had a summer job the taxes you were paying could be too much, because taxes are calculated in terms of an entire year, not a temporary stop gap in between studies.

Our take: Well this is a big one, who doesn't like free money? Even better who doesn't like being given back money that you've earned that's been taken away from you? Why not use our calculator to see if you're due a tax rebate?

International Students Boost Local Economies

A study into the local economy of Sheffield has shown that it's international students bring about £120 million into the city.

As we covered last week the government wants to lower the number of international students in our higher education system, but these figures have renewed claims that foreign students are good for the economy and shouldn't be made to feel unwelcome.

Our take: You can't really argue with the numbers, international students are a vital part of the higher education system, and our economy in general. The number rises again when you take into account visits from friends and families to £136m, can we really afford to turn international students away?

International UniRankings Announced

Oxford and Cambridge have (again) done well in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings. Cambridge has held the third spot from last year, whereas Oxford has been bumped up from sixth to fourth. Unfortunately other UK universities have suffered in the rankings.

In the last two years, three UK institutions have dropped out of the Top 100. Leeds is the latest casualty, going out this year and joining Sheffield and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine which both slipped last year.It's not all bad news though, Manchester University rose to 47th, the first time it's ever been included in the top 50 and Edinburgh rose three places to claim 46th.

Our take: Obviously there's a lot of competition in these rankings, but apart from bragging rights, do they make that much of a difference? It's great news that the Oxbridge institutions are so highly ranked as a global brand, and well done to Manchester for breaking into the Top 50, but how much does this really affect the everyday life of ordinary students?

Drunk Students Given Wristbands as warning

In an effort to stop binge drinking, drunk students found late at night in Cardiff are going to be given wristbands that ask 'How did you get home?'. The city has a reputation for being a booze capital of Britain, which health chiefs want to get rid of and hope this plan will help.

The aim is to make students more aware of how much risk they put themselves in by irresponsible drinking. Cardiff University is running a free minibus that will help students get home, but will leave a nasty reminder in the morning, in the form of a yellow wristband.

Our take: What a great idea! Because hangovers aren't quite guilt inducing enough, a bright yellow wristband is bound to make you feel so much worse after a heavy night on the town. The intention of this new policy is good, without spoiling the fun of a night out. And with only 1000 produced at the moment, they might even become something of a collectors item.

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